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FEMA and Federalism: Washington Is Moving in the Wrong Direction?
Title: FEMA and Federalism: Washington Is Moving in the Wrong Direction
Date: May 8, 2007
Author: James Jay Carafano, Matt A. Mayer
Institution: The Heritage Foundation
Bibliographic Entry: Carafano, James Jay, Mayer, Matt A. “FEMA and Federalism: Washington Is Moving in the Wrong Direction.” http://www.heritage.org/Research/HomelandDefense/bg2032.cfm. (accessed June 15, 2007).
Electronic Link: http://www.heritage.org/Research/HomelandDefense/bg2032.cfm
Key Words: FEMA, Hurricane Katrina, Congress, major catastrophes
Summary of Key Points, Issues, Conclusions:
The article asserts that the nation as a whole would be better served if Congress focused on establishing higher thresholds for what constitutes a federal emergency, and prepared FEMA to primarily respond to major catastrophes. The authors believe this will make FEMA more effective in responding to large scale disasters, and be far more beneficial to the nation as a whole than a “Washington-centric” restructuring of FEMA. After making these two assertions, the article deals briefly with the history of FEMA and its involvement, noting the dramatic spike in usage from 1993 to the current Bush administration. Emphasized is the 20% reduction in staff, the triplication of its activity, and its lack of funding, and how these factors contributed to FEMA’s lack of preparation in regards to Hurricane Katrina.
To prepare for the next major disaster, the article gives several suggestions for FEMA’s improvement. It asserts that “strengthening” FEMA by placing DHS functions within it are not effective, and that Congress should in fact scale back many of FEMA’s activities. The article asserts that FEMA must only step in during catastrophic disasters that overwhelm local governments, and the organization should focus its recourses on a regional basis.
Name of Researcher: Crystal Boson
Institution: Integrative Center for Homeland Security, Texas A&M University
Date Posted: June 19, 2007